Tobacco-truck.



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TOBACCO TRUCK.' (Application med im. 1, 1899.)

(Nn Model.)

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n. vazfllf/ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIII THE Noam PETERS co, pHoro-urne., wAsmN-cnon D c STAns PATENT OFFICE.;

WILLIAM SAMUEL DYCUS AND WILLIAM ELLIS PEAY, OF KUTTAVA, KENTUCKY.

TOBACCO-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,324, dated February 13, 1900.

Appnmion flied March 1, 1899. sentire. 707,310. (No modem Tc all when@ 'it 77mg/ cri/werft:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM SAMUEL DY- cUs and WILLIAM ELLIS PEAY, citizens of the United States, residing at Kuttawa, in the county of Lyon and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Tobacco-Truck, of which the following is a specification.

In steaming and casing or, as it is sometimes called, ordering tobacco it is necessary that it be exposed uniformly to the action of the heat or steam to which it is subjected. To do this expeditiously and without bruising or otherwise injuring the tobacco, it must be taken into and removed from the heat or steam chamber with the least possible labor and loss of time, and also be opened out or placed in layers to permit its being uniformly and quickly acted upon by the curing agent. We have found that this can be verysatisfactorily accomplished by means of a truck which can be loaded and unloaded quickly and which will support the tobacco in a very desirable condition While it is being exposed, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, in which4 the same reference-numeral indicates a corresponding part in each of the views in which it occurs, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a truck embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is an end View showing the truck within a building in which the tobacco -is subjected to the action of the curing agent.

In practicing our invention we prefer to use it in connection with a suitable closed cha1nber formed with one or more compartments, into which the truck is taken after it has been loaded with tobacco and from which it is removed after the tobacco has been subjected to the action of the curing agent, for which We prefer to use steam. As shown in the draw ings, said compartments communicate with a suitable stack by means of dampers, and each compartment is provided with a door suitable for the ingressand egress ofthe truck with its load. The steam is supplied to each com partment by any suitable meanswas, for instance7 through steam-pipes near the floor, and above which the truck is located when in the building. A suitable pipe is provided for each compartment, through which the condensation from the steam escapes.

To cure or order the tobacco in the most expeditious manner, We make use of the improved portable truck shown in the drawings upon which the tobacco is placed for transportation into and out of the building and on which it remains while in there. It is our purpose to provide a number of these trucks for service in connection with the steaming apparatus. Said trucks are designed to be used throughout the plant or factory for the purpose of transporting the tobacco to and from the steam structure. Each truck is constructed to allow the steam to circulate freely through its bed and ends, and said truck is furthermore equipped with means by which the load of tobacco may be distributed in strata or layers. In order to provide for the free circulation of steam through the load to thoroughly and uniformly case the tobacco, each truck has a slatted bed 36 and slatted upright ends 87,' which are joined substantially together to produce a strong and durable structure. The bed is supported on a wheeled base consisting of the carrying wheels 38 and the casters 39 40. rIhecarrying-wheels are disposed at opposite sides of the truck., in the middle thereof, and the casters are arranged fore and aft With relation to the truck-bed and inv the median line thereof. The carrying-wheels and casters are connected by suitable hangers to the truckbed, and said caster-wheels are smaller in diameter than the carrying-wheels to enable the truck to be depressed at either end, and thereby tilt or cant said truck in order to facilitate its transportation.

The truck is provided with a rest-frame 4l, which is arranged transversely across the lloed and at the middle thereof. Said truck is, furthermore, equipped With the swinging grates or hurdles l2 43, each of which is of slatted construction and is hinged at one end, as at 4:4, to one of the slatted upright ends 37 of the truck-bed. The length of each grate or hurdle is equal to the distance between the central rest-frame and the upright slatted end of the truck, and each hurdle is hinged to said upright truck end in the horizontal plane of the cross-bar forming a part of the rest-frame IOO 1.1. The hurdles may be raised to the upright positions for the purpose of placing a part of the load of tobacco directly on the slatted bed of the truck, and these hurdles may then be lowered into the horizontal positions, so that their inner ends will rest upon the cross-bar of the rest-frame. The hurdles thus assume horizontal positions above and parallel to the bed of the truck and over that part of the load of tobacco which rests upon the truckbed. The remaining part of the load of tobacco maynow be placed on the slatted hurdles or grates, so that the steam is free to circulate through the tobacco on the truck and the hurdles thereof.

Although We have shown and described the truck as equipped with two of the grates or hurdles, it is evident that the number maybe increased by adding two or four additional hurdles and by extending the central rest with cross-bars for the support of the eXtra hurdles,wherebya large quantity of tobacco may be supplied to the truck and separated into a number of strata or layers.

The bed and ends of the truck are shown as slatted; but in some cases We may employ Wire screens or other foraminous material as a covering for the slatted structure to prevent the tobacco from dropping through the truck and lodging on the floor of the steaming-compartment, thus obviating the tobacco becoming Wet, blackened, or damaged.

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details ot' construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

What we claim is- 1. A truck for casing or ordering tobacco, comprising a slatted Wheeled bed, upright fram es fast with said bed at the ends thereof, and the slatted open-Work hurdles hinged at their outer ends to said upright frames at points intermediate the height thereof, said hurdles arranged to be lowered into alined relation and parallel to the bed and forming with the latter a series of supports for the circulation of steam through layers of tobacco loaded on the truck, substantially as described.

2. A truck for casing or ordering tobacco, comprising a slatted Wheeled bed, upright frames fast with the bed, at the ends thereof, and inclined to the plane of the saine, a cen: tral frame fixed to the bed at a point intermediate its length and having a cross-rail on a plane below the 'upper ends of said fixed end frames, and slatted hurdles hinged individually to the upright end frames at points intermediate the length thereof and substantially on the plane of the cross-rail in the central frame, said hurdles adapted to rest upon the central frame in alined relation one to the other and parallel to the slatted bed to support tobacco in layers for circulation of steam through the tobacco, substantially as described.

3. A truck for ordering or casing tobacco,

comprising a slatted bed, the carrying-Wheels arranged in line with each other across the central part of the bed and journaled in hangers which are fast With the sides of the bed, caster-Wheels of smaller diameter than the carrying-Wheels and connected with respective end portions of the bed, the upright frames fixed to the end and central portions of the bed,and the slatted hurdles hinged to the end frames and arranged to rest on the central frame, substantially as described.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own We have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WM. SAMUEL DYCS. WM. ELLIS PEAY.

Witnesses:

N. N. RICE, J. L. DUNCAN. 

